Tag Archives: support

Once drug and alcohol detox concludes, individuals must begin planning a course for long-term addiction recovery. Each person’s path to achieving the goal of lasting embetterment is unique in various ways but, by and large, they are mostly similar. The process usually begins with medical detox, residential treatment, and some form of extended care. During the early stages of recovery people adopt the principles of a program, guides for keeping you on the straight and narrow after treatment is no longer necessary.

If you are new to the program, or contemplating embarking on a journey of recovery, then you know a difficult task is before you. It’s probably apparent that help is needed if you are going to achieve the long-desired goal of abstinence. Outside support is of the utmost importance, accepting the help of others is really the only way to succeed. If you are thinking about treatment or are fresh in the program, chances are you tried to quit on your own once or twice. For most people in recovery, many failed attempts had to occur before they came to realize they could not do it on their own.

Addiction is a severe form of mental illness, driving victims to look for serenity in harmful ways. The disease tricks people into thinking they are strong enough to handle any problem on their own. What’s worse, those living with active alcohol and substance use disorder start believing they can manage through life, alone. Perhaps addicts and alcoholics could benefit from reading the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley, especially the lines: ‘I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.’

Wreckage of Addiction

It’s vital to remember that drugs and alcohol are a symptom of a more significant problem. Sure, mind-altering substances are problematic, and continued use will result in bodily harm; however, like most serious problems, they originate from within, not without. In early recovery, young men and women learn that the great issue they must contend with is that of Self. The internal drive to satiate an insidious yen: wanting what you want when you want it. It’s a mindset that leads to people doing unspeakable things to friends and family members in service to their disease.

Ego, selfishness, and self-centeredness results in people taking great risks, gambling with their future for a jackpot in the present. However, it’s a windfall that will never come; these are the delusions of grandeur besetting every addict. Living in service to mental illness may work for a time, but in the end those who do not address the problem of self by way of recovery—never fare well. Healing occurs when you look to your fellow man for support and guidance. Paradoxically, it’s when you surrender that you find freedom.

Many of us in recovery have impressive resumes that we would like nothing more than to erase, both on paper and in the minds of others. After a couple weeks in treatment, when the acute withdrawal subsides, and the mind comes into focus, one begins to see just how far the pendulum of reason had swung. It leads to a desire to clear up or amend our past mistakes or errors in judgment. Fortunately, recovery provides an avenue of recourse; it won't happen right away, but in time, those who stay the course find hope. Individuals working programs of recovery will get the opportunity to “Act” for forgiveness, rather than ask.

Unconquered In Recovery

Regret, shame, and guilt are all words the addict and alcoholic are acutely familiar with in early recovery. One must do everything in their power to not let said feelings drive them out of the program before the miracle is revealed. When you are no longer using you have made a choice to surrender, you’ve admitted to yourself, and something greater than you, that you are powerless over your disease. You’ve asked for help, and you found it in the form of treatment and a community of caring men and women who have taken an interest in your success. It’s the beginning of an awakening.

Working a program will empower you to achieve goals, you likely have many goals after years of substance misuse and abuse. You see that others have cleared up the wreckage of their past as best they can and are seemingly happy with the path they chose. Rest assured you are eligible too; as long as you keep doing the next right things profound changes will occur in your life. That is where patience plays an important role, alterations for the better don’t happen overnight. Improvement takes place on life’s terms and it’s vital you do not lose hope.

In Latin, the word Invictus means “unconquerable” or “undefeated.” We choose recovery because we want to survive. We don’t owe our surrender to defeat, but rather a desire to live.

Hope Springs Eternal

When we were actively using we thought we had control over everything in our life’s sphere, the words ‘I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul,’ could have been our motto but for all the wrong reasons. In recovery we must apply the words above; in doing so we learn that the only thing we’ve got power over is our decisions; to Be for addiction or Be for progress. In recovery we find courage where none is apparent, we find dignity in making right our wrongs.

If you are hopeful for better days ahead and are willing to surrender and ask for guidance, it’s an action that will save your life. Drugs and alcohol may have stripped your ability to manage your life’s ins and outs, but they haven’t taken your will to choose to live for something better. With help, you can transcend the limits of addiction and prosper in the infinite possibilities of recovery.

At PACE Recovery Center, we are happy to help young men take the remarkable journey that is addiction recovery. We will give you the requisite tools and skills to lead a fulfilling life. Please contact us today.

Young people in recovery have several different forces to contend with, compared to those a little bit older. Some of the apparent obstacles include navigating the drinking and drug culture pervasive to young adulthood. Most teenagers look forward to coming of age, escaping the oversight of one’s parents. As well as, making their own decisions, partying with their peers without fear of parental admonishment—some would call it a rite of passage. However, for people coming of age whose down spiral into addiction has already begun, such freedoms are fraught with peril. Unless an introduction to addiction recovery commences, one’s early twenties are typified by heartache and disappointment.

Coming to terms with one’s addiction is not easy in young adulthood. It’s impossible to avoid posing questions to one’s self, ‘Why me? Why can’t I drink like my peers?” These questions are easier asked than answered; even if you did have the answers, it wouldn’t change anything. If you have been touched by the disease of addiction early in life, it’s best not to reason why. What’s important? Acknowledging that a problem exists and commencing to work on the problem. When one’s search for meaning ceases, your only recourse becomes clear—recovery. Those who seek it, honestly, undergo what can only be called a transformation on a mental and spiritual plane.

Young adults who set a path for recovery find spheres of opportunity open up. What was impossible a short time ago, is now within reach because of one’s program. Those who stay on a course for recovery find few limits to what is achievable, especially young people. Self-betterment requires more than working spiritual maintenance; higher education is the complimentary catalyst for achievement. Breaking the cycle of addiction unlocks the doors of possibility, college opens and lets you through—pursuing any conceivable dream.

Obstacles to Young Adult Addiction Recovery

At PACE, we prepare young men for the obstacles to addiction recovery, including a college culture unsympathetic to sobriety. Just because you are working a program doesn’t mean the gravitational pull of drugs and alcohol will vanish. College is equal parts learning both beneficial and harmful behaviors; campuses are rife with substance use, after all. We teach our clients proven relapse prevention techniques, how to stay clear from dangerous environments. Naturally, the college substance use culture is the farthest from being an ideal environment.

Young people in the Program must be vigilant in protecting their sobriety. While in school there are forces that will attempt to throw you out of orbit. It’s vital that you choose a school that values the needs of young people recovering from use disorders. Of the 20 million students who embarked upon higher learning this fall, recovering addicts and alcoholics are a minority. Meaning, from the start, you need to find peers who share your goal of abstaining from drugs and alcohol. Fortunately, scores of university campuses have addiction recovery support programs now. CRPs (college recovery programs) significantly improve one’s ability to avoid the pitfalls of their mental illness. They offer peer-to-peer support, counseling, and group meetings. Equally important, CRPs facilitate sober social activities providing young people an avenue to have fun in recovery.

One college that has long understood the importance of catering to people in recovery is Rutgers University. In 1983, Rutgers began their student recovery program, The Chicago Tribunereports. The school has a dedicated residence hall for abstinent students, known as the Recovery House. Today, 150 colleges offer CRPs and 50 offer substance-free dorms to students.

Addiction Recovery Oasis

In the United States, Lisa Laitman, director of the Alcohol & Other Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) at Rutgers University, points out, 30 percent of university students have substance use disorders, according to the article. “That’s a lot of students who need help,” said Laitman.

Laitman says that CRPs for young men and women in recovery are “a kind of oasis in the desert.” The more you can do to protect your recovery, the more likely you will be to succeed. For those planning to attend university this winter, we implore you to investigate what your college offers—recovery-wise.

If you’re young man with substance use disorder, whose ambitions include a college degree, please reach out to us. We designed our PACE Academy program with you in mind. We will help you break the cycle of addiction, provide you with the tools and support needed for successful outcomes. Alcohol and substance use disorder doesn’t have to keep you from fulfilling your dreams for the future.

When we talk about addiction recovery, we speak on what it takes for people living with a substance use disorder to change their life for the better. Everyday people turn to addiction treatment programs and/or 12-Step recovery meetings to learn how to live life clean and sober. It is often said that the easiest part of recovery is putting down mind altering substances, the hard part is not picking them up again. This is a fact that can be clearly supported by the rate of relapse in early recovery. That aside, if newcomers are willing to take certain steps and follow the guidance of those who have managed to maintain long term continuous sobriety, recovery is possible.
Recovering alcoholics and addicts rely on one another to stay the course, without one’s peers life can quickly fall apart. The same can be said for the families of people living with addiction. Addiction affects entire families, watching a loved one slowly self-destruct takes its toll on others. Mothers and fathers find themselves brought to the brink of despair, a byproduct of the realization that their children's addiction is out of their control. There is a reason why many primary care addiction treatment facilities have family programs. Families often lack the tools to cope with their loved one’s addiction, they often do not understand how this could happen and why there are changes they need to make in their own lives.
Families often struggle to find people they can talk to about their son or daughter's addiction, especially since there is still a lot of stigma surrounding the disease. Many people continue to view addiction as a moral failing or that somehow addiction is the result of bad parenting. The aforementioned idea, could not be further from the truth as is evident by the millions of Americans abusing prescription opioids and heroin, or the 70 plus overdose deaths every day. The opioid epidemic has brought addiction out into the light; more and more people are accepting that addiction is a mental illness that is out of the control of both the addict and their loved ones.
There are a number of outlets that parents can turn to for support. Just as those in recovery lean on each other, parents can find support from other parents who are facing the same reality, i.e., Al-Anon. And now, even if you live in rural America, where prescription opioids and heroin have taken thousands of sons and daughters, you can find support - all one needs is an internet connection. In fact, thousands of mothers of opioid addicts connect with each other online, The Wall Street Journal reports. Online support groups have become beacons of hope across the country, ranging from as small as five individuals to tens of thousands. The Addict’s Mom (TAM), a place to “share without shame,” has more than 70,000 members on Facebook.

For probably 10 years I had no one to talk to about it. I had my head down like a guilty parent,” says Margaret Worthen, a member of a small support group called Soul Sisters, “All the sudden I had other women, other good moms all going through the same thing.”

Here at PACE Recovery Center our treatment team, many of whom are Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, takes an active role in working with our clients and their families to define their goals and move towards these goals.

On the eve of Christmas those in recovery need to prepare themselves for what may be a tumultuous day. It is fair to say that holidays are extremely difficult for people working a program. While everyone wants to be around their family and take part in the celebration, spending time with family can be stressful - especially if alcohol is part of the equation. A significant amount of alcohol is typically consumed during the major holidays and for people in recovery, especially those who are new; it can be difficult to be around. However, if you implement the tools that working a program has given you, it is possible to get through the day with a smile on your face and not pick up a drink.
Avoiding high risk situations that could put your recovery at risk is ever important, even if your family falls into that category. Naturally, just because you have stopped drinking and are creating a new life for yourself, does not mean that others will understand or be conscientious of what you are doing and they may convince you that you can have a drink without consequences. If you are in recovery, you know that if you drink you could lose everything wonderful that the program has given you - which is why you don’t drink no matter what.
Even if you are new to recovery, you are probably aware of what you can and cannot be around. Dangerous people, places and things could jeopardize your recovery. It is likely that you have been invited to some parties being held between now and the New Year, if you must attend it is always wise to bring a recovery peer with you. If that option is not available, it is wise to limit the amount of time that you are at a holiday party. The longer you are around alcohol, the greater the likelihood of experiencing cravings. It always sound to leave parties early.
12-step meetings will be held all day long tomorrow; attending at least one is advised. Being around your family may bring up some emotions that are painful. If you go to a meeting, you can discuss how your feeling with your recovery peers; there is a good chance that others are experiencing the same thing. Talking about how your feeling is the best way to work through the problem and move forward; letting emotions fester is a sure path to a bottle. Always remember that you are not alone, there is entire network of people all working towards the same end. If you are struggling, reach out.
We at Pace Recovery Center would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. We hope that you have a safe and sober holiday.

Drugs and alcohol are powerful substances that can strip people of their identity, taking one to places that they swore they would never go. Paradoxically, a person in the grips of addiction often feels that they are in control of their life, when in fact the reality is quite different. The illusion of control that addicts and alcoholics maintain is often a top reason for not seeking help sooner, a misconception that can prove fatal.
Coming to terms with the fact that you have become a slave to drink or drugs, and that there is a power greater than oneself, is a pivotal component in finding recovery. Reconnecting, or establishing for the first time a relationship, with a higher power can be a hard pill to swallow for many people new to recovery. Wrapping your head around having a “god” in your life can be difficult, after struggling with addiction for years it is easy to convince yourself that god has turned his/her back on you. Failure to create a relationship with a higher power will hinder a successful recovery.

Let Go, and Let…

Spirituality is the glue that holds one’s recovery together. Without a connection to a power greater than oneself, everything will fall apart. There is a reason why twelve-step programs put so much emphasis on creating and maintaining a relationship with a higher power of some kind. In order to work the steps, one has to let go of their illusions of control and put their faith and trust in something outside themselves. Surrendering to a higher power can prove difficult, people struggle to let go and accept that no one is in control of life’s outcome, especially after many years of living on self will alone. However, when someone comes to terms with the fact that their mindset of being in control was a major component of their addiction - letting go becomes a little bit easier, and one finds that their mind and spirit has been freed.
Being relieved of the burden of control allows one to channel their energies in other directions, a necessity when working a program of recovery. Living a spiritual life will help you develop a relationship with recovery, the recovery community, and your higher power. Having the feeling that you are connected to something greater than yourself, helps you live one day at time free from drugs and alcohol.

Finding A Connection

Many who have begun a journey of recovery using the twelve step modality, have some kind of history with religion (for good or bad); this can be a shortcut to reestablishing belief, as there is a foundation in place to build on. On the other hand, there are number of people who have no history with spirituality or belief in a god. If you fall into that realm, do not be discouraged, for you are not alone.
Hopefully you have begun working with or seeking a sponsor, a person who will prove pivotal to your recovery. A sponsor can help guide you in your search for a power greater than yourself, and they will inform you that a higher power does not have be a religious deity. A higher power can, in effect, be anything from the universe right down to the recovery group that you attend. One’s higher power is purely subjective, and there is an infinite multitude of things one can put their faith into and receive guidance from. Establishing a connection will not necessarily happen overnight, everyone’s experience is different; what’s important is that one stays active in fostering a relationship with something greater than themselves

There are a few things that you can do that may help you with your search:

Meditation/Prayer: Taking sometime throughout the day to sit quietly, free from the distractions of day to day life, allows you to open your mind to the spiritual world: An act that can put you in a position to practice having a dialogue with something greater. Even if you feel like no one is listening, do not be discouraged, it is important to practice communicating and seeking guidance from outside of yourself. More times, than not, you will feel better after having taking the time to do such a simple task.
Being of Service: If you are attending meetings, volunteering your help is great way to get outside of yourself. Selfless acts have a reciprocal effect. Helping others, helps you live in the sunshine of the spirit. When you help others it makes you feel good, you forget about the multitude of things that have been weighing you down. Being connected to others is a great way to practice connecting to a higher power.
Don’t Give Up: You often hear the saying “progress, not perfection.” Recovery is a process that can take time to fully grasp. It is important that you listen to your peers with an open mind; they can prove instrumental in your having made a connection with an outside power. Establishing a spiritual relationship will happen in its own time, trust in the program and your desire to live differently than you have in the past.
At PACE Recovery Center our motto is a Positive Attitude Changes Everything and our program offers our clients the ability to reintegrate back into a life that emphasizes the true transformation out of one’s addicted identity and into a life of recovery through integrative education, insight and relapse prevention.